Bottle closure



Patented Aug. 31, 1937 UNETED STATES BOTTLE CLOSURE Edwin D. Valliant and Edwin D. Valliant, Jr., near Hollister, Calif.

Application October 8, 1936, Serial No. 104,592

4 Claims.

It is known that many more or less successful attempts have been made to provide means for effectually preventing the refilling of a bottle after it has once been emptied, but such means 5 must of necessity be somewhat expensive and complicated. In the practical application of the idea, however, it is not considered necessary to render a bottle absolutely proof against refilling, it being suflicient if the filling is rendered difficult by requiring special and expensive machinery or by so prolonging the period of time required by the filling that the operation is rendered impractical.

It is one object of the present invention, therefore, to provide means that will permit the free flow of liquid from a bottle, but will slow down the refilling of the bottle to such an extent as to render such an operation impractical.

It is also an object of the invention to provide means of the character indicated that will be economical to manufacture, that consists of few and simple parts, that may be quickly and easily positioned in a bottle but not removable therefrom without mutilation, and that will be highly eflicient in its practical application.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a sectional view through a bottle neck embodying our invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the top closure element.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the element immediately underlying the top element.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the bottom element embodied in our invention.

Referring now more particularly to the specific embodiment of the invention disclosed herein, we show at I the neck portion of a bottle having an inwardly extending annular flange 2 formed therein in spaced relation to its top, and an annular groove 3 formed therein intermediate the flange and top.

The bottom member of the closure forms a valve guide and comprises an annular member 4 having the diameter of the interior of the bottle neck into which it fits and having a conformation enabling it to seat snugly on the flange 2 as at 5. The inner surface of the member is shaped as at 6 to form a seat for the valve l which is a spherical body completely closing off the opening 8 in the bottle when seated as shown.

Formed on the member 4 are upstanding and radially disposed web-like fingers 9, I0, II I2 that terminate in the same plane. While fingers 9 and I I are parallel with the axis of the member the opposing edges Illa and I2a of fingers I0 and I2 are inclined toward the end of the bottle as shown.

The inner edges 9a, Illa, Ila, I2a of fingers 9, III, II, I2 form and define an inclined runwayv for the valve 'lwhich rests upon the seat 6 and closes the outlet from the bottle when the same is in an upright position, but which'readily rolls away from the, seat when the bottle is inclined or tipped in the proper direction for pouring out the contents. When the bottle is so tipped the liquid will flow out freely between the several fingers. I

At I3 is shown a circular disc having the same diameter as element 4 and upon which it seats as shown. This disc is provided with an opening I4 located adjacent one edge thereof and communicating with a tubular part I5 of the same diameter and extending upwardly therefrom.

At I6 is shown a member in the form of an inverted cup, the side ll of which has the same outer diameter as the disc I3 and terminates in segmental outwardly extending flange portions as I8. The side I7 is split in several places and is made of resilient material so that when the member I6 is forced into the bottle neck the parts I8 will drop into groove 3 and effectually prevent removal of member I6 without mutilation thereof.

In the top of member It is formed. an opening I9 communicating with a depending tubular flange 20. This opening is located adjacent one edge of the member and the flanges I5 and 2B are so proportioned relative to the spacing of the disc I3 and the top of member I6 that they overlap as clearly shown in Figure 1.

When these parts are assembled as described the openings I4 and I9 are arranged in the plane of inclination of the runway for valve 'I. These parts are all so proportioned that when the bottle is filled and the several elements placedin position, the placing of the top member I6 automatically secures the disc I3 and member 4 against movement and against removal.

When the bottle is tipped in the direction indicated by arrow ZI the valve 1 rolls down the inclined guideway and allows the liquid to flow freely into the chamber 22. From this chamber it will flow through opening I4-I5 into chamber 23 from which it is discharged through opening I920. Since the chamber 23 is a large one air will readily flow back through the same channels to the interior of the bottle to replace the liquid removed.

In attempting to refill the bottle it will be found that the valve I will automatically seat and prevent such an operation whenever the ,bottle is in an upright, or a near upright, position. In attempting to refill the bottle by immersing it in the liquid while in a horizontal position it will be found that while the valve 1 is open the positions of openings I l and I9 relative to the opening 24 is such that neither can the liquid enter nor the air escape, in sufficient quantities to make it a practical method of refilling the bottle. The valve guide may, of course, be an integrant part of the bottle itself.

It is to be understood, of course, that while we have herein shown and described but one specific embodiment of the invention, changes in form, construction, and method of assembly and operation may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a device of the character indicated, a

structure forming a circuitous path of travel for liquid comprising, a disc having an opening formed therein and disposed wholly upon one side of its axis, and having a tubular part leading from said opening, and an inverted-cup 7 shaped member seated on said disc and having an opening formed therein and disposed wholly upon one side of its axis and having a tubular part leading from said opening and oppositely directed relative to the first mentioned tubular portion, said tubular parts being disposed on diametrically opposite sides of the structure and overlapping at their free ends.

2. In a device of the character indicated, a structure forming a circuitous path of travel for liquid comprising, side and end walls defining a chamber, each end wall having an opening formed therein Wholly on one side of the axis of the structure and having a tubular part leading therefrom to a point within the chamber beyond the median plane thereof, and said openings being disposed on diametrically opposite sides of the axis of the structure.

3. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, an annular valve seat member having annularly spaced upstanding fingers associated therewith to form a valve runway, a valve in the runway to engage the valve seat, a structure including side and end walls defining a chamber seated on said fingers, each end wall having an opening formed therein wholly on one side of the axis of the structure and diametrically opposite the other opening and having a tubular part leading therefrom to a point within the chamber beyond the median plane thereof.

4. In a device of the character indicated, a structure forming a circuitous path of travel for liquid comprising, side and end walls defining a chamber, each end wall having an opening formed therein wholly on one side of the axis of the structure and having a tubular part leading therefrom to a point within the chamber beyond the corresponding end of the other tubular part, and said openings being disposed on diametrically opposite sides of the axis of the structure.

EDWIN D. VALLIANT, JR. EDWIN D. VALLIANT. 

